Funds are requested for the support of special topics symposia to be held as part of the 16th Annual International Conference of the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), meeting in Baltimore in November of 1994. The specific aims of the proposed symposia are to assess the current status and future potential of a number of key areas of biomedical engineering, and define the directions of future research in these interdisciplinary areas. Invited experts will make presentations summarizing recent developments in their research area, to an audience of academics, clinicians, industrial representatives and local policymakers charged with directing funding. The presentations will be followed by a panel discussion, with audience participation, of the challenges faced in advancing the technology. Executive summaries of the panels, including transcripts of the panel discussions, will be published in one of the EMBS's publications. The proposed symposia and the questions to be addressed include, Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. What are the present capabilities of MRI for performing a comprehensive cardiac exam? What advances must be made before this is a reality? Engineering approaches to diabetes treatment and care. What are the relative merits of the indwelling glucose sensors undergoing clinical trials and the approaches to noninvasive sensing currently being evaluated? What is the most promising approach to the development of an artificial pancreas; a glucose sensor/insulin pump combination or an artificial organ utilizing transplanted islets of Langerhans? Magnetic stimulation. Can it be made more focal? Can it be applied to functional stimulation of peripheral nerves as part of a prosthetic device? Can nerves be stimulated during magnetic resonance imaging?